November 12, 2014 - An Illinois community college graduate can expect a total lifetime earnings gain of over $570,000.

SPRINGFIELD - A new study released today by the Illinois Community College Board finds that an Illinois community college education increases earnings for workers, even during a recession.

For Illinois community college graduates, the return on investment equates to a total lifetime earnings gain of over $570,000 and an average annual rate of return of 14.2%.  In fact, taking courses at an Illinois community college increases a student's earnings 25.3% over pre-enrollment wages.

"Graduating from an Illinois community college pays off," said Dr. Karen Hunter Anderson, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board.   "With a rate of return of over 14%, investing in an Illinois community college education provides a far greater financial return than home ownership or even the stock market."

Illinois community colleges add skills to our workforce and boost business competitiveness.  Nearly 9 out of 10 Illinois community college graduates remain in Illinois after completing college and contribute to the state's economy.

"The state's investment in community colleges stays right here in Illinois," said ICCB Chairman Alexi Giannoulias.  "Illinois community college graduates generate billions of dollars in state and federal tax revenues and provide a skilled workforce for the jobs of the 21^st century."

As major employers and business entities, Illinois community colleges generate substantial economic benefits for communities through local expenditures and employment.  According to the report, in fiscal year 2012, Illinois community colleges generated a total economic output of $3.1 billion and almost 51,000 jobs.

"Community colleges are the lifeblood of many local communities in Illinois," said Dr. Anderson.  "Investing in Illinois community colleges is not only good for students, but also good for local communities that benefit from significant economic growth and job creation."

"Overall, this study clearly demonstrates that, for a small investment, Illinois community colleges are unmatched in their long term payoff to Illinois' students, employers, and local communities," said Giannoulias.

The economic impact study was conducted by Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies.  The study is unique from many other state and national higher education economic impact analyses because student-level data was matched with employee-level wage data to determine student economic impacts through their employment and earnings gains.

The Illinois Community College Board is the state coordinating board for community colleges. Illinois is home to 48 community colleges in 39 districts and has the third largest community college system in the nation serving nearly 1 million residents each year in credit and non-credit courses.

For more information, including a copy of the full report, visit http://www.iccb.org/eis.html.

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Sauk and Meskwaki Tribes

Beth Carvey, of the Black Hawk State Park Museum, will present a talk on the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes, both indigenous to the Quad Cities area, on Tuesday, November 18th at 1:30 pm at the Rock Island Public Library. November is Native American Heritage month. www.rockislandlibrary.org

Inaugural Winemakers Dinner

A new Quad Cities experience!

Don't miss out. Play indoor human foosball. Fun just like regular foosball, only you are in a life-size human foosball game! Teams are six versus six.

Private rentals, birthday parties, team building, and tournaments available. 

The River's Edge, 700 West River Drive, Davenport. (563) 322-5220

Mediacom Business provides over 5,000 fiber route miles in Iowa, connecting more than 2,500 locations with speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second

Des Moines, Iowa - November 13, 2014 - Speaking yesterday at a meeting of the Mid-Iowa Association of Local Governments (MIALG), Mark Finch, Senior Director, Mediacom Business, said the company is cultivating commercial growth and development in rural communities across America's Heartland through the continued expansion of a high capacity fiber optic network. Gigabit+ Fiber Solutions™ from Mediacom Business delivers a new broadband standard for large and small businesses, healthcare facilities, schools, libraries and other local anchor institutions. Moreover, Mediacom Business makes accessing its high-capacity broadband easy and cost-effective by managing and monitoring the network, thereby eliminating the need for cities to employ additional resources.

Mr. Finch told mayors from twenty cities in the Metro Des Moines Area, along with numerous Iowa State Legislators, that his company has over 5,000 fiber route miles already in service in Iowa. This expansive network, said Finch, connects more than 2,500 locations, and is capable of delivering speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second.

"While companies like Google are making promises to build these networks in large metropolitan areas, Mediacom Business' fiber-optic network is already in place right here in Iowa. We're delivering speeds of one Gigabit and beyond to business customers of every size over our proprietary, fiber-optic network," Mr. Finch said.

The City of Grimes, one of the fastest growing areas in Iowa, has approximately 400 small-to-medium sized businesses. Grimes is an excellent example of how Mediacom Business partners with municipalities to build the critical broadband infrastructure that powers economic development. According to Mr. Finch, "Mediacom Business is inviting other cities to have these conversations with us so we can replicate these public/private relationships in more areas." He added, "Increasingly, Central Iowa is attracting attention from IT companies, web developers, call centers, and data centers who demand the reliability, speed and redundancy our Gigabit+ Fiber Solutions™ platform can provide. You could say we're a one-stop shop in meeting the needs of every customer, no matter their size."

A video about the City of Grimes, Iowa/Mediacom Business partnership can be viewed at: http://www.mediacombusiness.com/discover-grimes

About Mediacom Communications

Mediacom Communications Corporation is the nation's eighth largest cable television company and one of the leading cable operators focused on serving the smaller cities in the United States, with a significant customer concentration in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions. Mediacom Communications offers a wide array of information, communications and entertainment services, including video, high-speed data and phone, and provides innovative broadband communications solutions through its Mediacom Business division that can be tailored to any size business. Mediacom Communications' advertising sales and productions services are sold under its OnMedia division. More information about Mediacom Business is available at www.mediacombusiness.com.

About Mid-Iowa Association of Local Governments

The Mid-Iowa Association of Local Governments (MIALG) is a group of mayors from Central Iowa and members from the Iowa League of Cities and Polk County Supervisors that gather once a month for dinner and a meeting. A presenter is invited to each meeting, where programs and issues affecting their communities are discussed. The current chairperson is Mayor Scott Cirksena.